The Siphon
by Den84
Summary: My own original creepypasta story about a man who hunts monsters from other such stories, told in first-person perspective through the eyes of the protagonist.
1. Chapter 0 - Prologue

Chapter 0 - Prologue

DISCLAIMER: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: a horizontal line indicates a scene change.

* * *

The story you are about to read is not meant for the faint of heart. For it contains graphic descriptions of horrific feats of violence.

However, dear reader, do know that -even though I am not exactly like you in the physical, mental and emotional sense- my sense of morality forces me to protect you and the ones you love from... the ones that I hunt.

For I am the Siphon. A creature who was created by darkness, but walks in the light.  
I must note, however, that I have indeed been a lot more like you. But that lasted for only a brief period in my life.

During my hunts, I have sustained many attacks done to my physical body. However, though they have scarred me, my ability to feel physical pain has been lost by me years ago.

Besides, those scars are but a small price to pay for the unfortunates I got to save from the monstrousities that threatened their mortality and sanity. My right eye, however, was what really motivated me to carry on with the hunt.  
It made me feel like the deaths of my family was not enough for those monsters to fuel my thirst for vengeance. But no matter. My eyepatch has been a constant reminder of it ever since then. And the day I lost my eye has just made it more personal...

What exactly do I hunt, you wonder? I hunt the monsters that were created by the minds of people like yourself. Well, it's not just the regular old werewolves, vampires or demons... No. These creatures have gained power far beyond them. This is because people like yourself continue to write, talk and read about them. These actions fuel those entities' power.  
People like yourself write stories about these entities. Those stories have gained the collective term of "Creepypasta".

I hunt them to quench my thirst for vengeance. And because not all people like you write, talk about or read these stories. Some don't even know they exist. In fact, dear reader, maybe you haven't written or even read such a story in your life.

And of course there are those who make beautiful pieces of art, more so music. I myself have found myself fond of the musical genre you call "heavy metal".

But I think it would be best to tell you my story from the beginning...


	2. Chapter 1 - Family

Chapter 1 - Family

DISCLAIMER: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: a horizontal line indicates a scene change.

* * *

"Go to sleep for now, kid. When you see a bit more of the world, I'll be back to save you from it." are the words that still echo through my head. These... empty words. Spoken by that empty shell of a man...

Some may find it rather strange that I still remember those words. Because they were spoken to me when I was just a baby. But I remember them as if they were spoken to me an hour ago.

I can also remember the sound of blood squirting and bones crushing until with one final crunch, the screaming of my babysitter stopped. Naturally, these sounds made me cry.

"Quiet down, little guy... Or am I going to have to make you quiet?" the killer said to me as he got further away. That was the last I'd see from him for years...

* * *

I grew up like any normal kid. I went to school, had loving parents, and some fellow children had even accepted me as their friend, who remained as such during my years of elementary school.

However, during my first year in Junior High, I discovered that I was... different. I was not quite like the others. There was just something... strange about me...

I mean, I had absolutely no problem with absorbing the education taught during the classes... Even when they would have actually be meant for a University class. No, for some reason, I understood everything.

And this was not limited to theoretical classes, either. Physical education was no problem for me - even physical feats that the gym teacher himself couldn't do proved just a little challenge to me.

Because of these marvellous feats, the teachers decided to call upon the aid of high-ranking physicists, psychologists and psychiatrists to see what exactly made me do what I do.

But they couldn't find anything strange. As far as their professional opinions went, I was a normal teenage boy whose physical, mental and emotional fitness were at the peak of human perfection.

Unfortunately, my peers have quickly learned of this, and as such started to bully me. However, my psychological prowess was more than efficient to keep them at bay.

But there were times where that just wasn't enough, during which I had no choice but to rely on my physical prowess. This brought me into many brawls with my assailants... from which I always emerged victorious.

That was when they started to target other peers for their bullying... which was the last of their mistake, and the first of mine.

As soon as I saw my former bullies bothering the quiet and kindhearted Henry Winters, I immediately jumped at them, delivering punches that were both quick and heavy to their bodies...

Having delivered agonizing pain to them, I felt the hands of two adult males grabbing me from behind. I looked up to see the angry and disapproving faces of two teachers.

"We're disappointed in you, Jack." one of the teachers said "You had no reason to perform your violent act."

"What?! Yes I did!" I protested "I wanted to protect Henry! Right, Henry?"

But the quiet boy gave no response - he was too terrified by my sudden violent act to even look around as he stared off into space...

"Right. Let's see what the Principal has to say about this!" The other teacher blared "Lars! You're coming with us, too!"

One of the bullies moaned and nodded, slowly getting back up again.

Lars Block... He was always the one calling the shots, and delivering them when he saw fit... Surely, the Principal would know this and punish him for what he did... Right?

* * *

Wrong.

The Principal was just as blind as the two teachers. He acted upon what I did. It did not matter what Lars and his friends were doing to Henry. All that he saw was that I attacked them.

"And that's why you're suspended until they're recovered to optimum health, mr Teller." the Principal said "Unless mr Block has a better alternative in mind."

"No." Lars said "Your suggestion is fine."

"Very well, then." the Principal continued "I'm sorry it had to come to this, Jack. But then again, you have brought it upon yourself. And given your grades, I'm sure such a suspension would cause you no trouble. Your suspension starts immediately."

I growled at the Principal's words, but then sighed and nodded in acceptance - knowing there was no way out of it anyway.

I stood up and approached the door, ready to head back home as part of my suspension. I took one last look at the Principal, Lars and the two teachers, sighed one last time, and went back home.

* * *

After an hour or so, I arrived in the street of my parental home. However, what I saw was entirely out of the ordinary... Police cars and ambulances were parked in the curb, and two stretchers with large black bags were rolled into the ambulances.

'What's going on? What happened here?'

Several of those thoughts shot through my head. But of course I got no answer... until a Police Officer spotted me and approached me.

"Jack Teller?" the Officer asked me. I nodded in reply. The Officer took off his hat "I'm sorry to say this, but... your parents have been murdered."

These words struck me with a terrible sadness. Tears started to form in my eyes, rolling down my cheeks.

"I... I have this envelope for you." the Officer stuttered, handing me an enveloped with just my name on it. "Oh, and sorry for your loss..."

Sorry for my loss?! I became an ORPHAN on that day! At the age of only 13!

Regardless, with a deep sigh, I took the letter and started to read it...

"Hello, kid

You still have not seen enough of this world. But they have.  
And you don't need them to see the world, now do you? So I saved them from it. It was fun, but I hope you'll entertain me more!

I'll see you soon!  
Jeff"

Jeff? Who is this Jeff? Jeff Losser? Nah, couldn't be him... he's still in school. Then who could this Jeff- wait a minute...

FLASHBACK  
"Go to sleep for now, kid. When you see a bit more of the world, I'll be back to save you from it."  
END FLASHBACK

Those words... They look a lot like the words in the letter... Could... Could this Jeff be... No. No, can't be! That Jeff had been dead for years!

Or was he?

"Do you have any place you can stay?" the Officer asked, interrupting my thoughts. I nodded to him, mentioning my Uncle and Aunt who lived just a couple miles from there.

"Do you want me to take you there, Jack?" the Officer asked again. I nodded one more time, as the Officer took my hand to escort me to his vehicle.

* * *

"Where do your Uncle and Aunt live, Jack?" the Officer asked, making eye contact with me via the rear-view mirror.

"Colonial." I sighed "23."

The Officer nodded, and started the car engines, still feeling pity for me. But I knew his profession forced him to remain objective. So I didn't blame him for not talking to me during the rest of the 10-minute trip.

* * *

"Thanks." I said, as the Officer nodded to me and I got out of the car. He stopped the engine and got out as well, escorting me to the front door. He rang the bell, and Uncle Bill answered.

The Officer took off his hat again, explaining the situation and offering his condoleances. Though naturally shocked by this news, Uncle Bill was more than happy to take me in.

He thanked the Officer, who gave me one last quick smile and got back into his car, starting the engines and driving off again.

"You must be terrified..." Uncle Bill said, lowering himself to my eye-level "Come on in. The kids have the day off from their school. Nick's out at a friend's place, though. But maybe you can join David in his game on his X-Box."

David. My favourite cousin in the whole world, and the eldest of my Uncle and Aunt's three kids. The middle kid was Nick - whom David became best friends with. The youngest was their sister Lucy.  
The siblings were 14, 12 and 10, respectively, and as close as can be. Of course the brothers were best friends, but Lucy still meant the world to them, and vice-versa.  
The fact that their personalities were vastly different from each other only added to that; David was usually calm and collected, and the most honest and serious of the three. Nick, on the other hand, was outgoing and active, and a real prankster with a heart of gold. Lucy's personality was an effective combination of these traits; as calm as David, but as outgoing as Nick.

From that moment, however, they no longer felt like my cousins... but like my siblings.

Aunt Anne saw me walking in the living room door. Lucy was sitting at their dining table, reading a book. David was playing some obscure game on his console. He always had a fondness for things people didn't hear much about...

As I approached and hugged my cousins, Uncle Bill explained the situation to Aunt Anne, whose face showed clear hints of shock and awe. She then approached me.

"Would you like a cup of tea, Jack?" she asked.

"Yes, please." I replied, sitting down next to David, who smiled and gave me his controller.

END OF THE FIRST CHAPTER


	3. Chapter 2 - Fear

Chapter 2 - Fear

DISCLAIMER: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: a horizontal line indicates a scene change.

After the cup of tea I got from Aunt Anne and a nice dinner, I set down again with David to continue playing the game with him. Nick had of course already come back in time for the meal in the meantime.

"Awww, man!" David exclaimed "You beat my high score!"  
Overhearing their brother's words, neither Nick nor Lucy could help but snicker a bit. I smirked at him, restarting the game and handing him back the controller.

"I'm really tired, Aunt Anne..." I said, yawning "Do you have a bed set up for me?"

"Of course, dear." she replied, smiling "The guest room is yours for this night. Uncle Bill will install a bed for you in the brothers' room."

"What?!" Nick protested "But moooom! David and I don't have enough space in our room already!"

"Now, Nick! You listen to your mother!" Uncle Bill blared "Besides, there's another one who can decide about it." he referred to David, who just shrugged.

"I don't care." he replied, not looking up from his game "So long as I get my sleep."  
Yeah. There were three things dear to David: his family, his girlfriend Mary, and his sleep. Mess with any one of those, and he's impossibly cranky all day long.  
But besides that, he's a really friendly and calm guy. Friendliest guy I know to this day, even.

"Then it's settled." Aunt Anne said "Guest room tonight, boys' room from then."

I smiled at Aunt Anne, hugging her and the others. "Thanks!"

"Just don't get in the way of my sleep." David replied as one of his serious jokes.

"And my workouts." Nick added.

"Got it!" I exclaimed, quickly rushing to the guest room. Once I got on the bed... a sudden realization came to my mind. My parents... are dead. I may never be able to hug them again. I even missed them giving me a time-out. Yelling at me. At each other. I mean, we were a loving family, but we weren't perfect...  
And it was those imperfections that I really started to miss... And made me cry...

I heard a knock on the door. Startled, I looked into the direction of the knock, and asked "M-mom...?"

I heard a sigh and a giggle "Sorry Jackie, it's just me."  
Jackie... only one person referred to me by that affectionate nickname. The door went ajar to reveal the very sight I expected - my kind blonde-haired cousin Lucy "I heard you crying, on my way to bed... Wanna talk about it?"

"I... I don't know, Lulu." I replied, using my affectionate nickname for her "It's pretty heavy..."

"Did something happen to Uncle Marco and Aunt Cleo?"

I sighed deeply, extending my arm as an invitation for a hug. She smiled, and sat next to me on the bed "Your Uncle and Aunt... my parents... they're in Heaven now..."

"In Heaven?" she asked in reply "You mean, with Grandma?"

I nodded to my cousin, holding her more tightly as tears flowed down my cheeks again "Yeah... With Grandma..."

* * *

Lucy had already gone to her own bed as I woke up. I grunted a little, scratching myself and yawning as I approached the stairs.

I slowly set foot into the living room, where my relatives already sat down for breakfast.  
As always, Uncle Bill was eating a croissant and drinking coffee while reading the morning paper. Aunt Anne, David and Nick were also having some coffee, the boys having their way with the cinnamon buns. Lucy was drinking her usual green tea while eating a small club sandwich.  
The adults had already set a chair to the right of David, putting me between him and Lucy. Nick always sat on David' left, more so because Nick's a lefty.  
I smiled and went to sit down on my chair. "Good morning, everyone."

"Morning, Jack." Uncle Bill said "Had a good sleep?"

"Sure." I replied nervously. I actually slept terribly, but didn't want to worry anyone.

"Coffee or tea?" Aunt Anne asked.

"I think I'll try some tea." I replied, as David handed me a cinnamon bun. Aunt Anne nodded, filling a mug for me.

"Mom told me what happened." David said "Sorry for your loss."

I shrugged, smiling sheepishly again "They're in Heaven now..." I said, still not wanting to confront the younger girl with the harsh truth of death. David nodded to me.

"Pfff... Cranky Davey the suck-up." Nick said jokingly, to which his sister couldn't help but giggle "But yeah, I agree."

I sighed for a moment, then started my breakfast...

* * *

The kids already got brought to school by Uncle Bill. I was helping Aunt Anne cleaning the table.

After we were done, we sat down on the TV couch. Aunt Anne poured me another cup of tea, and asked me "So Jack... are you able to tell me what happened? In your own words?"

I sighed "I guess... I got sent home from school, noticed those police cars on the curb, an Officer told me my parents... are..." I started to sob.

Aunt Anne put her hand on my shoulder, handing me a box of tissues and telling me "It's okay. You don't have to say... but you got sent home from school? Can you tell me why?"

"Lars was bullying Henry." I replied, staring at the floor "I was standing up for Henry, but the teachers wouldn't believe me..."

"I see." Aunt Anne replied "So they solved it by sending you home?"

"No, they suspended me." I sighed "I'm suspended until Lars and his friends have their wounds healed."

I knew my Aunt was trying to ignore those last words, but that was okay. She still smiled at me, telling me "Well, our word is golden. You can stay here as long as you like."

I smiled at my Aunt, hugging her and saying "Thank you..."

* * *

Several months passed after. My parents' burial service was beautifully done, and more than worthy of their memory.

Then it became August 24. My birthday.

The living room was decorated with balloons and corny stuffed animals. Well, some of them were corny... I could recognize others as those from Lucy's room.

In fact, that sweet little blonde girl was the first to approach me to wish me a "Happy birthday!" with a hug, followed by her brothers, Uncle Bill and Aunt Anne. I happily returned the hugs, laughing along with them as we sat down together near the TV.

"And here's our present!" Aunt Anne said, handing me a box in gift wrap. I took it, having a big cheesy smile on my face.

"Go on! Open it!" Uncle Bill said. I was more than eager to do so...  
I soon wish I wasn't, though...

I unwrapped my gift, and revealed a rectangular box. I took a good look at the box. It looked like a regular children's board game: little cartoon mice antics all over the place around the title "Rap Rat", and the retrospectively redundant text "For kids who just want to have fun!".  
My eyes went wide with joy, smiling at my Uncle and Aunt "Thank you!"

They smiled back at me.  
"You're welcome." Uncle Bill said "I bet you can't wait to start playing, huh?"

My cousins and I nodded frantically in reply, as Uncle Bill readied the coffee table for the game board. I opened the box to take out the instructions, but instead found a DVD.  
"Unc?" I asked. Uncle Bill looked at me holding the DVD, as I handed it over to him and he placed it in the DVD drive, as my cousins and I set up the board.

Annoyed as always by copyright warnings and stuff like that, Uncle Bill fastforwarded the DVD until he finally came across a static screen with "RAP RAT" displayed on it and some rap-like music playing in the background, while the rules were explained as well as instructions on how the game worked.

Then the awaited protagonist finally appeared on the screen - a puppet rat with an annoying voice and a misguided confidence in his own ability to rap, as well as his charisma - or more rather, lack thereof.  
But the creature actually didn't really resemble a rat; his ears were far too big, he had a mouth lined with two teeth, and the inside of the mouth looked almost swollen. The most striking part about the thing, though, was the eyes. They were large, glassy, and fish-like.

Rap Rat started to spew various bad words for another minute or two, making us miss the timing when the actual game began.

"Dammit!" Uncle Bill growled, forced to rewind the DVD.

As the DVD finally got rewinded to the start of the game, we started rolling that coloured die to the sound of Rap Rat telling us to say "cheese" over and over again.

* * *

When the game was won by David, he suggested to have another go. Uncle Bill restarted the DVD.

However, David said "Ah, leave it, dad. We know the rules and stuff already anyway."

Uncle Bill nodded, and pressed the Eject button on the remote. But instead of the DVD tray opening, Rap Rat shouted loudly, screaming and wailing, saying "WAIT YOUR TURN" in a demonic, low-pitched voice.  
In the background, we could hear the narrator saying "He's Rap Rat, and he's the boss" over and over again in an overly serious tone.

This terrified Lucy, who was shaking in place. David was also clearly scared, but Nick seemed more like he was annoyed, while I -admittedly- was terrified as well.

"What the hell is this?" Uncle Bill demanded, approaching the DVD player to turn it off. But the same thing happened again, but this time followed by a video.

The video was terrifying... Just terrifying.  
Images appeared quickly on the screen, as Rap Rat's expressionless eyes overcut them.

The images were the very things I was afraid of at the time:  
A person standing on a rooftop of a massive skyscraper, an extreme close-up of some insect or spider, a person drowning, and a person running from a pack of ravaging dogs.

The images made us scream with terror from the top of our lungs. But at that time, commanding yet comforting voices started to echo through my head.

"Bugs aren't scary!" one voice said "Humans are much more dangerous. They have many more deaths on their record than any common spider or insect. Besides, most bugs around here don't do anything bad, anyway."  
And with that, my fear of bugs was gone.

"Dogs are man's best friend!" the second voice said "It's the animal's master who's largely responsible for the dog's behaviour, but they're generally speaking actually good animals!"  
And with that, my fear of dogs was gone.

"Heights are only scary if you don't know what you're doing!" the third voice said "It's common sense to stay away from ledges and stuff, or to use safety equipment otherwise. Just use your head."  
And with that, my fear of heights was gone.

"People take swimming lessons in order to not drown." the fourth and final voice said "And learning to swim really isn't hard. And there's plenty of safety equipment to prevent drowning. So use some sense!"  
And with that, my fear of drowning was gone.

* * *

After the last voice faded from my mind, I saw them appear in the same succession on the screen again. But this time, they didn't scare me. Not anymore.

Then, Rap Rat showed up again, and began twisting and convulsing, thrusting his arms about.  
His body also began to look like real fur, while his face turned into a bristle of thorns with teeth.  
His eyes turned inwards and suddenly popped out again. Rap Rat's huge fish eyes were inside out, and were now staring right at me, watching my every move, my every expression.  
He grinned widely and gestured at me with a single, outstretched, inhuman hand.

END OF THE SECOND CHAPTER


	4. Chapter 3 - Fearless

Chapter 3 - Fearless

DISCLAIMER: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: a horizontal line indicates a scene change.

* * *

I didn't know what came over me, but without thinking twice, I firmly grabbed the hand, crushing it with a great force that was unfamiliar to me, as he screamed with agony and my face turned to the floor, my eyes remaining focussed on the rat. A wide grin formed on my face. This made the rat realize that something was... off.  
And I could read the same fear in his eyes that he made my family feel, who I told to "Leave. Now."  
Uncle Bill first protested, because this was HIS house. But he soon complied when he saw the look in my eyes. A look that was solely determined to put an end to whatever this being that resembled a rat was.

"Y-you heard the guy." Uncle Bill stuttered, exiting the room with his family "We-we need to get out."  
As soon as they left, my face shot upwards again, up toward the ceiling while my eyes never left focus on the rodent. With an almost psychotic chuckle, I told the rat to "Bring it on!"

At that moment, the rat materialized in the room. He was entirely three-dimensional now. This meant only one thing to me... I could hurt it. I could kill it.

Of course, the rat knew this as well, and took a quick sprint out of the living room and into the kitchen.

I laughed maniacally "Ohhh, so that's how it's gonna be, HUH?!"  
I then approached the pump-action shotgun that Uncle Bill kept on display on a living room wall.

As I was loading the shotgun, my Uncle rushed in, trying to stop me. I just gave him a quick angry glance...

"I thought I told you to LEAVE!" I snarled "I may not look it, but I'm on YOUR side! So GET OUT if you wanna stay alive!" I closed the shotgun's loading chamber again as Uncle Bill ran back out the front door.

I approached the kitchen "No one will hurt anyone I hold dear any more..."

* * *

As soon as I set foot in the kitchen, my ears were greeted with the same low-pitched demonic voice saying "WAIT YOUR TURN!"

"It IS my turn!" I shouted, and Rap Rat appeared before me. Only this time, he was much larger. He was twice my Uncle's size "...oh, really? You really thought this could scare me?"

"I am APARAT!" he replied "Lord and master of all that is FEAR!"

"Yeah..." I sighed, pointing the barrels at him "...too bad for you I've just lost my fear, huh?"

I was about to pull the trigger, but the shotgun got yanked right from my fingers. Nick took it from me, aimed and pulled the trigger.

An explosion followed, along with some smoke and a scream as Nick was sent backwards into the wall by the force of impact. Nick was hurt by the slam, but Rap Rat remained unharmed.

I stood over Nick, growling at him as I snatched the shotgun again "LEAVE!"

Nick nodded nervously, trying to run away... but got stopped by an enormous porcelain doll "N... n-no... No no NO!"

I glared into Nick's direction, noticing the doll. I then stomped into its direction, grabbing a hammer from a chair to smash the doll with. "GO! NOW!"

As Nick finally went back outside, I returned my focus on the demonic rat "Hey, lord and master of all fear! Seems like your little puppet needs to pull itself together now, HUH?!"

I heard a loud and high-pitched shriek. I had no choice but to cover my ears, and got down on my knees. I then saw the image of the grown Rap Rat -or Aparat as he called himself- approaching me, one hand raised to deliver a punishing strike to me...

'No way.' I thought 'You won't get me THAT easily!'

I then cocked and raised the shotgun at him, ignoring the shriek that hurt my ears. Then I pulled the trigger...

"BANG!"

Another shriek followed, but this one was different. Like some animal was in extreme pain. The arm that Rap Rat held raised was shot clean off.

This made me stare at Rap Rat with a look of awe and amazement. Awe of what I've just done. I mean, not only did the impact force me back away from him, I actually managed to hurt him, just as I hoped!  
"Ohhh... this is gonna be GREAT!" I laughed maniacally, slowly approaching the shrieking rat as I dropped the shotgun and reached back for the hammer.

Now overcome with the same fear he made my family feel, Rap Rat cowered away from me. "Stay back! Stay back! STAY BACK!"

"Ohhhh... poor little rat..." I chuckled, amused in a very dark way by his cowering "Do you really think you would get away with your crime just like that? Tisk tisk tisk..."  
My face went from a psychotic grin to an angry determination, after which I rose the hammer and struck it against one of Rap Rat's knees... his following shriek of pain and terror amused me even more...  
"I will make you experience so much pain that you'll BEG me to KILL you!" I grinned again, after which voices went through my head again, all calling out to me to punish this demon "...oh... oh, Ratty-boy?"

"WHAT?!" Rap Rat yelled at me, demanding my reply.

"I can hear... people." I said, looking up toward the ceiling "...geez. How many people HAVE you victimized?!"

"What's it matter?!" Rap Rat shrieked in reply "They were nothing more than insolent mortals! They NEEDED to experience the FEAR they got for playing MY GAME!"

"Really now...?" I asked in reply "Because from what I hear... none of those people are actually bad... I mean, certainly not even half as bad as you... hmm.." I turned my gaze toward the Rat again "They all want me to make you pay... and payday is today."

Rap Rat gulped at those words, asking me "Who... who ARE you?!"

"My name is Jack Teller." I replied, striking Rap Rat's remaining arm with the hammer, followed by another shriek of pain "Fourteen years old since today." I struck again, this time in the Rat's chest, and again followed by a shriek of his pain "Orphaned at the age of 13." the hammer struck his other knee, again his shriek filling the room "Orphaned, because... Jeff killed my parents."

As I rose my hammer to strike Rap Rat's skull, he told me to "STOP! PLEASE!" in his now-familiar demonic voice. I complied, still having the hammer up in the air as the Rat spoke up again "Jeff, you say? You mean... THE Jeff?"

"What do you mean?!" I demanded.

"Well, I know of this psychopath called Jeff the Killer." Rap Rat replied "If you give me your word to spare my life, I can tell you how you can get him."

These words only made me angrier, lowering the hammer with an even greater force than before. Upon impact with the skull, the hammer went right through the bone with a satisfying crack. Removing the hammer again, Rap Rat's brain was exposed.  
I quickly took one of the kitchen's knives, and thrust it through the demon's brain. With a couple more last shrieks and demonic shouts, Rap Rat finally exploded in a black light, after which there was no sign of him anymore.

I sighed for one last time, and said "...I don't deal with scum."

END OF THE THIRD CHAPTER


	5. Chapter 4 - The Animal

Chapter 4 - The Animal

DISCLAIMER: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: a horizontal line indicates a scene change.

* * *

After I knew that Rap Rat was finally really entirely gone, I dropped to my knees.  
"Ha... haha... hahaha... HAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAAAAA!" I raised my fists up into the sky as I laughed, but then suddenly... everything went black.

* * *

As I regained my vision, I noticed I was laying down on the couch. My Aunt was applying a wet cloth to my forehead, smiling at me as she saw me waking up again.  
"How... how long have I been out? "

"About half an hour." my Aunt replied. I looked around, and spotted my three cousins standing next to the couch, and my Uncle searching the kitchen for any last trace of whatever was going on.

"How ya feeling, buddy?" David asked me. I smiled at him.

"Much better now. Thanks."

"Helluva fight you've put up there, champ." Uncle Bill said, not being able to find any trace of Rap Rat "Scared the crap out of me."

Those words made me cup my forehead with one hand, as tears started to form in my eyes and flow down my cheeks.  
"I'm... I'm so sorry!" I said "I... I didn't mean to scare any of you! "

"Shhhh... shhh, Jackie..." Lucy said, running one hand through my hair "It's okay... we're not scared anymore."

My other cousins smiled in agreement to her words, nodding to me.  
"Could you just tell us what happened?" Nick informed.

I just sighed for a moment, bringing a hand up as it fell back on my belly.  
"I... I don't know." I replied "I just got these flashing images in my head all of a sudden, and then there were voices in my head... and then... everything I was afraid of... all that fear suddenly just... vanished!"

"Vanished? So you're not afraid of anything anymore?" David asked informingly.

"Nope." I replied with a smile.

"Even that big porcelain doll is gone..." Uncle Bill said, scratching his head in confusion "This is some seriously weird stuff, Jack..."

I nodded to his words.  
"I still don't really believe it happened, myself."

* * *

Several years passed. They were pretty normal. Nothing happened that was in the same fashion as my encounter with Rap Rat, and my Uncle and Aunt raised me as one of their own children, who really started to consider me their brother from another mother.

It soon enough became the 31st of January. David's 19th birthday.  
Fortunately, David received some much less dangerous gifts: A Chemistry book, a book on electric circuits, and...

"Switchblades? Really, Dad?!" David exclaimed excitedly "Dad, this... this is awesome!"

"You deserve them, son." Uncle Bill said with a smile "Just be careful with them. Well, actually, I don't think I need to tell you..."

"Nope, Davey can be trusted with those!" Nick added, as David indeed showed some amazing skill with those blades, twirling them around with his fingers. "Nice."

"Thanks pal." David replied, putting the blades down on the counter "And thank you too, Dad."

"Don't mention it, champ." Uncle Bill replied smiling.

* * *

Several hours passed. It became night time.

We were sitting on the couch, watching some action movie. We were really enjoying all the gunshots, explosions and bloodshed as the hero went about killing bad guys.

But then, Lucy went erect and looked out the window.

"Lucy? " Uncle Bill called out to her "Something wrong? "

"I think I saw something..." Lucy replied.

Uncle Bill went over to the window to see what she saw. But there was nothing special out there. Just their garden.  
"There's nothing there, sweetheart." Uncle Bill assured his daughter, to which she nodded to him and sat down again, even though she was still confused and a bit scared.

"Anyone up for a snack?" Aunt Anne called out.

"Sure Mom! I'd love some popcorn and soda!" David replied, to which Nick nodded hastily with a big smile.

"No, thank you. I'm fine." I said, to which Aunt Anne nodded and looked at Lucy.

"Just a glass of milk, please Mom. Thank you." their youngest child said, to which Aunt Anne nodded once more, and went into the kitchen.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" We suddenly heard her screaming. Uncle Bill rushed at her from his recliner, wanting to know what's going on. Aunt Anne was standing there, grasping the left side of her chest as she pointed below the door, near which they saw a raccoon with its guts spilled on the floor. The poor animal was still alive, and gasping for air.

"...I'll put it out of its misery." Uncle Bill said, picking up the raccoon as he went out the door.

* * *

Uncle Bill went on his way to approach his workshed. He opened the shed's door, and went inside.

He placed the poor animal on the stone floor, then took his axe from the wall.  
"I'm sorry, fella." he said to the raccoon, bringing his axe down to its neck to mercy-kill it. He then took one of his empty wooden boxes, and put the raccoon in it. On his way back out, he took his shovel.

As soon as he put one foot back out the shed, he spotted a strange figure that looked like an unnaturally tall, skinny, naked and incredibly pale man, or even a large hairless dog. Its body position was disturbing and unnatural, as if it had been hit by a car or something.  
Though startled by this appearance, Uncle Bill asked the creature "Can I help you?"

But the creature didn't reply. Instead, Uncle Bill noticed that the creature ran toward the house.  
Slamming the door open on its way in, Aunt Anne fainted and fell on the kitchen floor by this sudden appearance. The creature then approached us, which startled us and filled my cousins with fear. The creature then slowly walked toward Lucy. A large smile formed on its face.

"H-hello...?" Lucy asked, as the creature raised one arm.

Being protective as always, David set his fear aside and jumped at the creature, having a switchblade ready in each hand. He slashed at the creature's raised arm, drawing blood.

Roaring with agony, the creature slammed David aside. His body got slammed against the wall behind him, leaving him unconscious.

"HEY!" I roared at the creature "That's my BRO you've just hurt!"  
And with those words, images flashed through my mind again. Images of people being mangled... children being mangled... and images of people having gone insane. And voices started to speak to me...  
The voices were saying many things, but what stood out most were the words "The Rake... The Rake... The Rake..."  
Feeling powerful again, I walked over to David's unconscious body, taking his switchblades. "I'll make sure to make good use of these, bro."

The creature, who I then identified as The Rake, then roared at me again. This made me sigh for a moment, telling Nick and Uncle Bill to take David and Aunt Anne away from the scene. Things were about to get nasty.

The two nodded to me, and went upstairs, Lucy tagging along with them. The Rake wanted to follow them, but I grabbed it by the shoulder, applying a little pressure as I crushed its collar bone, which caused it to roar with pain again - much to my satisfaction.

"You're not going anywhere but to Hell, Rake." I said threateningly.

END OF THE FOURTH CHAPTER


	6. Chapter 5 - The Number of the Beast

Chapter 5 - The Number of the Beast

DISCLAIMER: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: a horizontal line indicates a scene change.

* * *

Writhing in pain for a while, The Rake panted for a few seconds, then glared at me and turned around to slash its free claw at my face. This sudden swift attack made me scream in pain, bringing my hand to my left eye - which dropped to the floor.

Now having a chance to escape, The Rake ran away from me, leaving me with the pain it's just given me. It spotted Lucy again, running at her with a claw raised in the air.

"I don't think so." Uncle Bill said, blasting his shotgun at the creature's claw. It screamed with pain again, then looked at my Uncle with a bestial rage in its eyes. It roared at my Uncle, and then jumped at him.

SLASH!

A swift flash of light filled the area. And blood dropped onto the floor.

The Rake's claw recieved a large cut in its arm. David now stood between its and his father, determined to not let the creature get to him.  
"Check on Mom and Jack, Dad." David said, keeping his switchblades ready. Uncle Bill nodded to him, walking over to me, then to Aunt Anna, and taking us over to his car.

"Be careful, son..."

David just nodded to his father, keeping his focus on The Rake. The creature looked at David with a hint of awe. David then just grinned, and slashed at The Rake's leg, making it scream with pain again as it fell onto the floor.  
"Like my cousin's already said... you're not going anywhere but to Hell!" David then kept slashing his blades at The Rake, spilling blood all over the place as its screams of pain filled the area...

* * *

Uncle Bill halted near the hospital. He rushed inside to get a few paramedics to help Aunt Anne and me into the facility.  
Sure enough, a small team of paramedics rushed out of the hospital with two stretchers. They placed my Aunt on one, and me on another. We were then taken inside the hospital, and everything went black again...

* * *

As I opened my eyes again, I noticed that I was now in a hospital bed. Half my vision was gone. No surprise there, since I had then just lost my left eye.  
I let out a deep and long sigh, then took a look around. I noticed David and Nick standing around the bed, and some doctors and nurses discussing my situation and taking notes. I smiled at my cousins.  
"Hey buddies..." I then set my focus on David "I assume you're done?"

David nodded and smiled back at me.  
"Cleaned up the entire mess before I got here, bud."

"Wait, what? How long...?"

"About three hours." Nick replied "Our parents have already gone back home. Mom's recovered already."

I sighed again, but this time with relief knowing that my Aunt was okay. I smiled at them again.  
"You should go to them." I said "They're your parents. You should be together."

"Fuck that!" David said in a demanding, yet friendly tone "You're our brother too, Jack! We won't leave you just yet." Nick nodded to his brother's words.

I then looked at the nearest doctor "Is... is that okay? "

The doctor nodded to me "Sure, but they really should go home when you feel that you'll need your rest."

I nodded to those words. "Thank you." And the doctor just nodded back to me, leaving the room with the rest of the medical staff.  
"How much of a fight did it put up?" I asked David as soon as I saw no trace whatsoever of them.

"Well, it hurt my leg." David said with a grin to hide his apparent pain "But I'll be fine! Been through much worse..."

I nodded to his words, high-fiving the brothers. A new person then arrived to stand in the doorway. A young woman wearing a black t-shirt and camo trousers. Her natural red hair was cut short.  
"Heyyyy... look who's there!"

The brothers looked into the direction of the door. David's eyes went wide when he saw "MARY!", and he hugged and kissed his girlfriend - who happily returned the affection.

The girl then sat down on a stool near me, friendly holding my hand.  
"I've heard everything from Lucy... how are you feeling?"

"Nothing I can't handle." I replied with a slight smile "I'm just glad everyone's alright, though. Well, except that your man got quite a cut on his leg."

Mary looked at David, sighing a little.  
"Been ruthless again?" she asked. David just laughed sheepishly at her words "You're such an idiot... but you're MY idiot!" she winked at him. He smiled back at her, then Mary looked back at me.  
"Are you sure you'll be fine?"

"Like I said before, it's nothing I can't handle." I reply with a thumbs-up "But thank you for asking! "

"Then I'll be taking the brothers back home." she said, to which the two protested "Guys, it's getting really late now... we all need our sleep."

"Yeah, I guess you're right..." Nick sighed reluctantly "Well Jack, we'll see you later!"

"Bye guys." I said, watching them walk out the door. I then sighed one last time, and went to sleep.

* * *

I remember this dream like it happened only yesterday... I was standing in a completely dark room, where a voice repeatedly said  
"Woe to you, oh Earth and Sea, for the Devil sends the beast with wrath, because he knows the time is short...  
Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast!  
For it is a human number...  
Its number is Six hundred and sixty six..."

With each new phrase, an image flashed before my eyes. Images of evil men and their many obscenities... and then... then I saw...  
"Un-Uncle Bill?"

Tears flowed down my cheeks when I saw this image... it was of my Uncle. He laid down on the floor, and the back of his skull was blasted away. Pieces of bone and his brain, as well as gallons of blood were lying on the floor right behind him. I dropped to the floor, holding my head with in my hands, screaming.  
"No! NO! This... this CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"

"It has not happened yet..." a voice called out "You have been given a chance to prevent it from happening..."

"Wait, what? Who... who are you?!" I called out, demanding to know.

"I am the one who is everywhere and nowhere. Everything and nothing. Everyone and no one..." the voice replied cryptically "But if you wish to give me a name... I think Presence will suffice."

"Presence, eh?" I sighed, standing up again "Alright... so... what can I do to prevent it?"

"You must prevent him from going to work tomorrow." Presence replied "That is the only way you can save him."

"...but... but how am I supposed to do THAT?!" I ask nervously "I mean... I'm still recovering from that attack!"

"I am sure you will find a way..." Presence replied one last time before its voice faded away completely.  
I then woke up again...

* * *

Back to consciousness, I did not hesitate a second. I reached for my cellphone, hoping to call Aunt Anne...  
"Come on, come on... pick up..." I said nervously when I heard the sound of the phone ringing on the other side. After a minute or so, I heard Aunt Anne's voice.

"Hey, this is Anne!"

"And Bill Teller!"

"We're not there right now, so we can't pick up the phone. Please leave message after the b-"

I hung up the phone. I started to feel desperate. How was I supposed to warn Uncle Bill now...?!

END OF THE FIFTH CHAPTER


	7. Chapter 6 - Voices

Chapter 6 - Voices

DISCLAIMER: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: a horizontal line indicates a scene change.

* * *

I couldn't help myself and went to cry for fifteen seconds or so - the pain given to me by the gaping hole of where my left eye once was had prevented me from crying longer. It's a small miracle that I'd even managed to cry that long...

But I digress... and I apologize for that, dear reader. Allow me to correct my mistake by just carrying on with the story.

I dried the tears from my right eye, and then it dawned to me.  
'I need to go there!' I thought 'Only then will I be able to save my Uncle!'  
I then decided to get out of the bed, and went for the door. I immediately got bumped back into the room by the night nurse.

"You're not going anywhere!" she blared "Doctor's orders."

"I need to go!" I yelled at her "My... my family is in danger!"

"Huh! Yeah, right! How do you even know?!"

Those words angered me, but I didn't do anything. I turned around to head back onto the bed, but then a voice in my head spoke to me.

"She's in your way." the voice said. I recognized the voice. Presence. "Just push her aside. You know you can do it."

I shook my head at those words, trying to ignore Presence's voice.  
The nurse approached me, a little more concerned now.  
"Hey, are you okay?" she asked me. And then... everything went black again.

* * *

The moment I regained my vision, I noticed that I was now outside the hospital. Confused, I looked around to see what was going on inside. I noticed several medical staff members rushing to the room I was on. After that, the nurse was taken out of the room on a stretcher.

"She'll live." Presence told me in my head again "And she'll recover quickly. Now go. Save him."

I nodded nervously to those words, darting off into the direction of my Uncle and Aunt's house.  
The reduced depth due to my lost eye did somewhat disorient me... but I still managed to arrive at the house.  
But to this very day... I just wished I could have arrived sooner.

I walked into the house, calling out for "Aunt Anne? Uncle Bill? Dave? Anyone?" but got no response. They were probably all still sleeping.  
I went upstairs to the Master Bedroom. I opened the door, and saw there was only one person in the bed...

* * *

_A few hours earlier..._

Uncle Bill and Aunt Anne were sitting in their couch, enjoying a good movie. Then, Uncle Bill's cellphone rang.

He reached for his cellphone, checked the number and sighed.  
"It's the Chief. I have to take this." he told Aunt Anne, who just nodded reluctantly. He then answered the phone "Yes, Chief?"

"Teller, get your ass to the Station right now!" the voice on the other side of the phone blared "We're about to head out to bust those dealers!"

"Sir, with all due respect... do you even know what time it is?"

"I don't give a damn about the time! You just get here, or get FIRED! Ya hear me?!"

Uncle Bill sighed "Yes Sir..."

"You have 30 minutes." were the Chief's final words before hanging up the phone.

Uncle Bill sighed again, kissing Aunt Anne.  
"Got work to do..."

Aunt Anne nodded to him "Be careful, please."

Uncle Bill nodded in reply, heading upstairs to get in his Policeman's uniform bearing the Captain's stripes. He then exited the house, and drove over to the Police Station.

* * *

You're probably wondering, dear reader, how I know all this... well... the answer will come soon. Very soon.

* * *

As soon as Uncle Bill entered the Station's doors, a small squad was already there, waiting for him.  
However, he just went over to the Chief. Angrily, he slammed the Chief's desk.

The Chief looked up to Uncle Bill with the same rage "WHAT?!"

"My Nephew is in the hospital right now, recovering from having lost an eye... and you... you have the GALL to ask me in the middle of the night to go bust this low-life gang?!" Uncle Bill angrily asked in reply, which started to scare the Chief "I'll do this stupid task. But you never call me in the middle of the night ever again, or else I QUIT! "

The Chief calmed down "And if you do that... be sure to have your desk clean next morning, then." he replied coldly.

This angered my Uncle only even more, but he let it be. He stormed back toward the squad, telling them "Let's move out."

* * *

The squad's cars arrived near an old crack house. The Officers took a battering ram out of one of the cars, bashing the doors down.  
Uncle Bill ordered the Policemen efficiently enough to have them either arrest or wound the dealers inside.  
But then... then it happened...

Uncle Bill never noticed this one person... this one man... his eyes bloodshot with a combination of a repetitive use of drugs, and pure rage.  
Holding a pump-action shotgun similar to my Uncle's, the man snuck up on Uncle Bill. One of the Officers managed to spot the man, calling out to warn him.

"Captain!"

"Hmm?" Uncle Bill turned around to check on what the Officer was talking about... "What's wro-

BANG!

The shell that escaped the weapon's barrel went right into my Uncle's Mouth, blasting off the back of his skull as his blood, and pieces of his skull and brain fell on the floor.

&amp;GIT on your knees!" the same Officer shouted to the man, kicking him in the legs to drop him to his knees. The Officer yanked the shotgun out of the man's hands, holding it at the man's skull point-blank.

* * *

Realizing why Uncle Bill's side was empty, tears started to form in my eye again. Ignoring the pain from the left side of my face, I rushed downstairs and out the front door. I reached for my cellphone, dialing the number of the Police Station.

"Police Department, how can I help you?" a friendly voice finally said after minutes of me waiting.

"I wanna know what happened to Captain Teller!" I replied "TELL ME!"

"I'm sorry, Sir, but we're not allowed to freely hand out that information except to his direct next of kin."

Those words made me freeze in my tracks "N... next... next of kin... you... you mean..."

"Sir, who is this?"

"J... Jack... Jack Teller." I stuttered "I'm... I'm his... his nephew..."

The voice sighed for a moment, then said "My condoleances, Sir. Reports have already come in to inform us that Captain William Teller has died in the line of duty."

Those words made me drop to my knees, crying even more.

END OF THE SIXTH CHAPTER


	8. Chapter 7 - Different World

Chapter 7 - Different World

DISCLAIMER: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: a horizontal line indicates a scene change.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This will be a re-telling of previous chapters, but told from the perspective of other characters than the protagonist. It's mostly a filler chapter, so you could skip it. But it may contain some unexplained things.

* * *

_A Death in the Family_  
Told from the perspective of the Police Officer.

* * *

I stood with the rest of my squad of police officers in front of the home of a family whose name I recognized. Teller. Could they be related to Captain Teller? I got that answer soon enough.  
As two stretchers with large black bodybags were rolled into the ambulances, I spotted a young boy walking up to the house and approaching me.  
I took a chance and asked the boy's name "Jack Teller? "  
The boy nodded to me in reply. I then took off my hat, and said "I'm sorry to say this, but... your parents have been murdered."  
I saw the boy forming tears in his eyes. The next thing I did got me fired later on, and I knew at that moment that it would, but I didn't care.  
"I... I have this envelope for you." I stuttered, handing an enveloped to the boy with just his name on it. "Oh, and sorry for your loss..."  
The boy sighed for a moment, but still took the letter. After he read it, I saw the boy space out for a minute or so.  
I then asked him "Do you have any place you can stay?", which seemed to interrupt his thoughts. He nodded to me, saying something about an Uncle and Aunt who lived not too far away. I asked him if he wanted me take him there. He nodded again, and then I escorted him to my car.

* * *

"Colonial. 23." the boy said after I asked him where they live. I knew the address. It was indeed Captain Teller's house. I drove him over to the house, still feeling pity for the young boy. Only 13 years old, and already an orphan... but I had to remain objective.

He thanked me after taking him to the house. I escorted him to the front door, and rang the bell. Captain Teller answered.  
I took off my hat again.

"Captain Teller? I hate to tell you this... but your brother Marco has been murdered." I saw the good Captain's eyes going wide with shock, asking me if I knew by whom. I shook my head, then pointed to the boy "Your nephew obviously needs a place to stay. You're the first to come to his mind..."

"Oh! Why, yes! Yes, of course!" he replied, taking the little boy by the hand "And thank you, Officer McBrian! "

I just tipped my hat at him "Sir.", gave the boy one last quick smile and got back into my car, starting the engines and driving off again.

* * *

I finally arrived back at the Station. I stepped out of the car, heading over to the Chief.  
"We have another one of them, Sir." I sighed "That weird knife-weilding psycho killer got himself two more victims."

The Chief looked up to me "Any piece of evidence? "

I smiled at the Chief "Research has of course taken photograps, Sir. And, uh... there was this letter. But... I gave it to Captain Teller's nephew."

"Always the idealist, aren't you McBrian?!" the Chief yelled at me "This is the LAST time you've done something like this! You're FIRED! Have your desk cleaned before the end of the afternoon!"

I sighed and nodded, slamming my badge on the Chief's desk...

* * *

_Rap Rat_  
Told from the perspective of Lucy Teller.

* * *

Yay! Today's Jackie's birthday! I love Jackie! He's my favourite cousin!

Daddy gave him a board game. Rap Rat. It looks nice!  
We sit around the table as Jackie sets up the game. He hands Daddy a DVD. Daddy puts it in the drive, and the TV shows a cute rat-like thing! I see Jackie getting annoyed by it, but I love it!

"Dammit!" I suddenly hear Daddy growl. We missed something important, so he has to rewind the DVD now.  
The DVD finally rewinds to the start of the game. We start rolling the coloured die to the sound of Rap Rat telling us to say "cheese" over and over again, which I think is just cute!

Big brother Davey wins the first game! Yay! He then asks if we want another go.  
"Sure!" I say, smiling brightly. Nicky and Jackie smile and nod along. Daddy then wants to restart the DVD.

"Ah, leave it, dad." I hear Davey say "We know the rules and stuff already anyway."

Daddy nods, pressing the Eject button on the remote. But instead of the DVD tray opening, Rap Rat shouts loudly, screaming and wailing, saying "WAIT YOUR TURN" in a demonic, low-pitched voice.  
In the background, I hear the narrator saying "He's Rap Rat, and he's the boss" over and over again in an overly serious tone.

I don't like this game anymore! It's scary! I'm shaking in place! And Davey and Jackie are scared too, but Nicky is more annoyed than scared.

"What the hell is this?" Daddy demands, approaching the DVD player to turn it off. But the same thing happens again, but with a really scary video this time.

The images make us scream at the top of our lungs! They are just so scary!  
I quickly turn away from the TV to look at Jackie. But he's totally spaced out with his face still toward the TV.

The images on the TV just keep on flashing... and then, Rap Rat shows up again, acting even scarier as he just sits there, twisting and convulsing, thrusting his arms about.  
His body also looks like real fur, and his face turns into a bristle of thorns with teeth.  
His eyes turn inwards and suddenly pop out again. I'm getting really scared now!  
Rap Rat's huge fish eyes are inside out, and now staring right at Jackie.  
Rap Rat grins widely and gestures at Jackie with a single, outstretched, inhuman hand. Oh God... this... this is the scariest thing I've ever seen!

But then... then Jackie just grabs the hand, just crushing it! It's almost as if he's even stronger than Daddy!

Rap Rat screams with the pain, and Jackie turns his head to the floor, but keeps staring at Rap Rat with a wide grin on his face.  
While all this is kinda scary, Rap Rat is the one really getting scared now! Then Jackie tells us to "Leave. Now."  
Daddy protests at first... it's his house, after all. But the way Jackie looks at him makes him agree.

"Y-you heard the guy." I hear Daddy stuttering, exiting the room with the rest of us "We-we need to get out."  
We go outside to the front lawn, waiting for Jackie to call us back in the house. We hear him shouting at Rap Rat.

Then Daddy gets angry for a second.  
"That's MY shotgun!" I hear Daddy roar, then he gets back in the house.

"I thought I told you to LEAVE!" I hear Jackie snarling from inside the house. He scares me now... but I know it's still my cousin "I may not look it, but I'm on YOUR side! So GET OUT if you wanna stay alive!" I then see Daddy running out the house again. We still hear Jackie saying some things.

Then after a little while, Nicky goes to the door. I try to stop him, but can't.

Nicky yanks the shotgun right from Jackie's fingers, and fires it at Rap Rat. But it doesn't do anything to the creature.

I then hear Jackie growling "LEAVE!", and Nicky runs back to us.

We hear Jackie screaming at Rap Rat a few more minutes, and then we hear another shot, then a very loud shriek of pain.

Then after a while, we hear an explosion and see a black light coming from inside the house. I walk in the door to see Jackie sighing and saying "...I don't deal with scum."

* * *

_The Rake_  
Told from the perspective of David Teller.

* * *

"Be careful, son..." my Dad tells me. I just nod in return, keeping my focus on this vile and wretched creature before me. It's been terrorizing my family... scaring my little sister and making my beloved cousin lose an eye. It doesn't deserve to exist.  
It looks back at me with a hint of awe. I just grin at it, slashing one of its legs.  
It screams with pain again and falls onto the floor.  
"Like my cousin's already said... you're not going anywhere but to Hell!" I tell the creature, slashing my switchblades at it, spilling blood all over the place as its screams of pain fill the area...

The creature stares angrily at me for a moment, then lashes out at my leg. It hurts like hell, but I ignore the pain. Or more rather, I let the pain become fuel to my anger.

My rage lets me go berserk at the creature, slashing both my blades all about on its body. Blood splashes everywhere.  
I then pick up the coffee table, dropping it hard on the creature's bloodied chest. It writhes in agony again, only amusing me more.  
I then walk over to the front door, taking my most trusty weapon - my baseball bat.  
I return to the creature, raising the bat high into the sky.  
"See you in Hell!" I shout, only getting angrier by the creature's scream of fear, then bringing the bat down to the creature's skull, pulverizing it as the blood and bone of its skull spread out over the floor.

I then calm down again, taking a good look around me and holding my forehead.  
"Aw, fuck... I have a lot of cleaning to do..."

END OF THE SEVENTH CHAPTER


	9. Chapter 8 - The Night

Chapter 8 - The Night

DISCLAIMER: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: a horizontal line indicates a scene change.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This will be a recap of the fifth chapter, from the point where Jack's cousins and Mary leave his room. It is told from David's perspective.

* * *

"Well Jack, we'll see you later!" my brother says, waving to our poor cousin.

"Bye guys." he replies.

"Man, I feel real bad for him..." Nick sighs "Losing an eye really looks like a big deal. Get it? LOOKS like a big deal?!" Mary and I just sigh to ignore the joke, even though we know that he just did it to lighten the mood a little "Oh, c'mon guys! What's the matter? Lost your humourous VISION?! Haahahahaa, I kill me!"

"...one more pun, and I'll sock you one." Mary growls at him. I snicker at those words, knowing full well that she'll actually do it.

"Alright, fine... I'll stop... in the blink of an EYE! OHHHHOHOHOOOO!"

BAM!

"OW!" Nick rubs his cheek with pain.

...those two really can't live with or without each other. And besides, she DID warn him. Idiot.

* * *

We step outside the hospital and over to Mary's car... which is being vandalized by some street thugs.

"Hey, you assholes! Stop that!" Mary warns them. The thugs just laugh at her words, then approach us with their knives, lead pipes and steel chains.

"What're you gonna do about it, missy?" one of them asks provocatively. I growl at the words.

"Step away from her, or you'll regret it..." I warn him. But it falls upon deaf ears.

The thug just laughs at me, swinging at me with his pipe. It strikes me in the head, and then everything goes black...

* * *

I regain my vision, now standing in the area again. But Mary, Nick and the thugs are frozen in place. And somewhere behind them, I see a man in a black cloak.

"David." the man calls out to me "Come. Closer. I wish to make you an offer."

I stay in place, though "...what kind of offer? "

"David. Right now, you are nothing but a slave. Always obedient to those who tell you what to do. Surely you do not wish to remain a slave for the rest of your life?"

"...I... I guess not... but... what else can I do? "

"Accept my offer, David. I can grant you power beyond containing, and you could become a man in this world that's beyond controlling to other mortals. You will do well not to deny the savior in front of your eyes."

I sigh for a moment. It sure sounds very tempting. I'll need everything I can get to protect my family. To protect her.  
I nod to the figure "I accept."

"Then... come closer. Give in, David... give in... to the night."

As I approach the figure, I notice that it looks exactly like me. The figure smiles at me, offering me his hand. We shake hands, and then everything goes black again...

* * *

Regaining my vision again, I see myself towering over the bodies of the street thugs. I could also feel two arms on each of mine - Nick and Mary were trying to restrain me or something. The blood on my fists drops onto the asphalt. I can see that the thungs are still alive, but in extreme pain.

"Enough already!" I hear Mary crying to me "They're done! And so are you!"

"Yeah... yeah. I'm... I'm okay, babe." I sigh at her. She and Nick then release me.  
But I can't help but kick the same asshole who struck me in his gut. But that's all. For now.

"...good thing the hospital's nearby." Nick wise-cracks, as Mary nods and opens the car doors.

She then puts a hand behind my back "Come on, hun. Let's get outta her..."

* * *

We drive over to her house. Nick and I join her inside. I sit down at the kitchen table. Nick joins me.

"Dude, since when did you have so much STRENGTH?!" Nick asks me in amazement "I always thought I was the stronger one!"

I sigh at him, rubbing my forehead, as Mary places a glass of water for each of us on the table "I'm... not entirely sure."

"Well, whatever came over you... it sure scared me..." Mary sighs "I really hope you're not gonna make a habit out of it."

I lovingly cup my hand around hers "Not planning on it..."

Mary then smiles at me, then at Nick "You wanna stay here for the night? Or rather go home? I already got the bed made anyway."

"Spare yourself the trouble, girl." Nick replies with a smiling thumbs-up "I'd like to stay here."

She nods to him, then rubs my hand with her fingers "Look... Dave... I love you. You know that, right?"

I nod to her "And I love you too..."

"You're the first man to ever treat me like a person instead of an object. I could never afford to lose you. So, please, do be careful, okay? If not for yourself, then do it for me."

Her words really strike me. Hard. But I know they were the truth and that she was just looking out for me.  
"I will..." I smile faintly at her. She smiles more brightly at me.

"Good then." she then kisses me on the cheek, and rubs a hand through Nick's hair "Sorry for punching you before."

Nick just waves it off "Nahhhh, I had it coming!"

END OF THE EIGHTH CHAPTER


	10. Chapter 9 - Awaken

Chapter 9 - Awaken

DISCLAIMER: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: a horizontal line indicates a scene change.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter, and upcoming chapters, are told from Jack's perspective again. Yay!

* * *

My phone dropped out of my hands.  
I broke down in tears, holding my head with both my hands as I screamed with sorrow.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH! PRESEEEEENCE!" I called out. And then, everything went black again.

* * *

As I regained my vision, I found myself once again in the entirely dark and blackened area where I first met Presence.

"I feel much pity, and great sorrow for your recent loss, Jack." I heard Presence say calmly. I roared at him.

"Pity, huh?! And sorrow?! Yeah, thanks a LOT for that, pal! But it won't get me my Uncle back!" I became even angrier now "And besides, you KNEW that was about to happen! So YOU could have DONE something about it!"

Presence sighed at my words.  
"If only that were true... Yet to my regret, I am only allowed to observe, show and advice. Never to interfere."

I growled again, raising and dropping my hands at those words.  
"How convenient... How FUCKIN CONVENIENT!" I rubbed my forehead, sighing "So... Now what?"

"My advice to you for now is to remain vigilant. Watchful. Vengeful." Presence replied "For you have been granted a unique gift. You are the Siphon."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you have the dark power to host the vengeful spirits of those who have fallen to the malicious, the bestial and the insane. As you had already experienced, those spirits will then inform you about how they fell, and grant you portions of their overall prowess when they were still alive." Presence noticed me nodding to his words. He then pointed at me "It is up to you what to do with this gift. Use it to protect those who need protection, or to harm them. Use it to grant vengeance to the fallen, or to aid those who made them fall. Use it for the benefit of the innocent, or for their demise. The choice is yours, though I may already know what you choose..."

I brought a hand up to my vacant left eye socket. I then closed my right eye, sighing...  
"...I think you know exactly what I'll do with it."

"We knew We could count on you..." Presence replied, clealy pleased by what I said. Then, everything went black again...

* * *

I opened my eye again, noticing that I've dropped on the sidewalk. I moaned for a little while, and heard footsteps approaching me calmly. I looked into the direction of the footsteps, and saw two flashes of light  
"Who's there?" I called out, and was answered by the laugh of an insane woman.

"Your time is up..." the woman giggled, approaching me more and more closely.  
As she stepped into the light of the nearby lamppost, it was revealed to me that the long-haired female brunette had stitched her mouth, and was dressed in a dark grey hoodie, black skinny jeans and black goth boots, holding a large butcher knife in each hand. But perhaps the most noticeable feature of the lady was something she and I had in common - she also had no left eye. Instead, a pocketwatch's clock was sewn into the eye socket.

The woman lashed at me with one of her knives. I tried to block it with an arm, but she drew blood. I screamed with the pain, then leapt a few feet away from her.  
"Stop this!" I warned her "I'm... I'm not what you may think I am!"

"Good..." the woman giggled, lashing out at me again. But this time, I managed to catch both her arms to prevent the knives drawing blood again.  
But the cut she had delivered me before forced me to release again. Her free arm then cut my abdomen. I dropped on my knees in pain.

She towered before me, about to deliver me the final blow... but then... then it happened...

I once more got bombarded by a flock of vengeful spirits. The woman noticed me twitching with each spirit entering me, which startled her.  
Once the final spirit had entered, a grin formed on my face as the cuts she had delivered me immediately healed again.

"Hahahahahahahaaaaa!" the woman laughed, slashing the butcher knives at me again.  
But this time, I didn't just catch them... I actually managed to hurt her arms sufficiently enough to make her drop them. My grin then turned into a more seriously determined look, and I shoved her away from me.

"I warned you, Clockwork!" I yelled at the woman. Her name got revealed to me by some of the spirits that had entered me "Or should I say... Natalie?"

Clockwork looked at me with a hint of fear in her eye.  
"What, how... how did you know my real name?!"

"Mommy and daddy are in here, Natalie." I grinned to her "They think you're a VEEEEERY bad girl... and they tell me to discipline you."  
I then picked up one of her knives, handing her the other. "But I'd like to see what exactly you're capable of. So let's have a duel."

"Fine!" she declared, slashing at me again. Easily parried. Such a clumsy attack.

"Come ON!" I yelped at her, slashing her arm as I drew blood this time "Try HARDER already!"

The cut visible hurt her, but she let her insanity help her ingore the pain. She then leapt at me, impaling my leg.

I dropped on my knee again, growling with the pain. I then grinned up to her.  
"...fool. You just wasted your only chance to kill me."

She realized I was speaking the truth... the only knife she had carried with her was now in my leg!  
'Could it have been that he was planning me to do this all along?!' she thought, but then shook her head 'No... no, that's impossible!'

I then got back on my feet, lifting Clockwork off hers by the throat with one hand, removing the knife from my leg with the other. The vengeful spirits used their combined power to heal the wound again.  
"Hmph." I sighed at Clockwork, throwing her to the ground again "You're pathetic. Just a stupid insane psychopath. Not worth my time."  
I stepped away from her, dropping the knife.

Filled with an insane rage, Clockwork got back on her feet again. She grabbed both knives back off the ground, and leapt at me to slash them at me yet again.

"...you really are a fool." I coldly said, taking a quick dive to evade the attack as I delivered a crushing blow to her ribs with my knee. The knives dropped again.  
I picked up one of the knives, towering before her this time.  
"Any last words before I'll send you to Hell?"

Clockwork grinned at me "They... they will come for you. The Rake. Eyeless Jack. Smile Dog. Bob. Jeff... they will all come for you. And one of them will kill you."

I leaned close to her face, grinning into her eyes.  
"The Rake is already in Hell..." I said, to which her eyes went wide with pure fear. I then slashed the knife at her throat, ending Clockwork's life as the blood gushes from the wound "...and you'll be joining it there, soon."

* * *

Two young men were hiding in the shadows just about where Clockwork was before.

"What do you think, Hoody?" one of them asked "Is he a threat to the Master?"

"It sure looks that way, Masky..." the other one replied "We should quickly tell Him!"

* * *

The boys hurried their way into a mansion within a nearby forest. They approached a tall and slim figure in the shadows.

"Yes?" the figure asked them.

"Master... Clockwork has fallen." the one who was known as Masky replied.

"Hmmmm... yes..." the slender figure replied "It is of no loss to us, though. She was weak in the first place."

"Master... we fear that the one who ended her could be a threat to your existence." Hoody added.

The slender figure now became a little angrier "WHAT?! You dare defy my power?!"  
A shadowy black tendril then wrapped around Hoody, crushing his body a bit.

"MASTER! NO! PLEASE! STOOOP!" Masky called out, and the tendril lowered itself and released Hoody - who fell on all fours, gasping for air.

"...I will give you two 72 hours to find out more about Clockwork's killer." the slender figure said "Should you fail in that, I will end both of you."

"Th-thank you, Master... You are too kind..."

"Now GO! And do NOT fail me again!" were the slender figure's final words to the two young man, who ran off again. A young man with medium brown hair then stepped toward the slender figure from the shadows, wearing a knitted sweater over a dark blue hoodie over his pale face. His round orange glasses and black mask gave him a sinister grinning appearance.

"Yes, Toby? What is it?" the slender figure asked. The young man cracked his neck for a second.

"Master... if you'd let me find the one who killed my girlfriend... I really won't disappoint you!"

"No." the figure replied "Savour that rage for when the killer comes here. Then you can let it all out at them..."

END OF THE NINTH CHAPTER


	11. Chapter 10 - Dead But Rising

Chapter 10 - Dead But Rising

DISCLAIMER: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: a horizontal line indicates a scene change.

* * *

I lifted Clockwork's corpse over my shoulder, taking the dead female to a nearby dumpster.  
I lifted the lid with some effort, and tossed her in.  
"Dispose of trash by dumping it in trash." I remarked, closing the lid again as I dusted off my hands.  
As the spirits left me again after being pleased with their vengeance, I sighed again "Uncle... Uncle Bill..."

I then felt another spirit enter me. One that felt very troubled, but also very trusted.  
The spirit spoke to me "...Jack? Is... is that you? "

"Uncle Bill?!" I called out excitedly, looking around for him. But of course, I could not see him anywhere.

"In here." my Uncle's voice replied "I... didn't see it was you before I got in here... but I just somehow felt that I should."

"W-wow... I... what can I do for you, Unc?"

"I understood that you are appointed to avenge those who got killed unfairly." Uncle Bill replied "I saw everything you did to that woman... was she one of those responsible?"

I sighed to his words, nodding "She was. And she'll never hurt anyone again."

"Well, as your Uncle and a Police Captain... I have to say... your methods are ruthless and could put you in danger. You should actually leave delivering justice to the authorities."

My Uncle's most recent memories then flashed through my head. I saw it all. The building, the dealers, the man with the shotgun...  
"...yeah... that had really helped YOU, huh?!" I growled in sarcastic retort. My Uncle sighed in return.

"...you... you're right. I'm sorry. But you'll get in grave danger if you keep this up! You could get killed!"

"Unc, I really appreciate your concern..." I sighed "...but I can't seem to get killed when I'm hosting the vengeful spirits. I mean, that woman sure had cut me, but those wounds healed up perfectly just a moment after! I'm gonna be an unstoppable force of vengeance, Unc! And the fallen will be able to rest in peace!"

"Very well, then." Uncle Bill replied, sounding a bit pleased "Just promise me that you'll never stoop so low as to harm those who don't harm others. After all, what you have is a great power."

"...which brings with it a great responsibility." I grin "And I'm more than happy to be responsible for what I do with it!"

"That's my boy!" Uncle Bill said in a clearly pleased tone now "If you don't mind, I'd like to stay here for a while... at least until you helped me get my revenge..."

"I... I'd love that, Uncle Bill..." I sighed happily with a tear in my eye.

* * *

"What?! You're KIDDING me, right?!" David spewed over the phone after he got told over it by his mother about Uncle Bill's fate, which she heard from a phone call from the Police. However, her tears assured him that she really wasn't...  
David sat down on one of the kitchen table chairs, rubbing his forehead "...thanks, Mom. I... I need some time to share this with Nick... give Lucy a big hug and a kiss from me..."  
The phone call ended there. Mary approached her boyfriend, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"What happened?" she asked concerned. David started to cry.

"It's... it's D-D-Dad... some... someone killed him..." he really couldn't hold back his tears when he finished his words. Mary held his face close to her stomach with tears in her own eyes, gently brushing his hair.

Nick stepped into the room, asking what happened. Mary shook her head to him, opening an arm to him.  
"Come here, bro." she said gently. Nick approached her slowly, planting himself under her arm. Having seen his brother cry so much and how Mary acted explained enough to him. He also broke down in tears.

* * *

A few more weeks have passed...

Being the eldest of my Uncle's sons, David really did his very best to arrange his father's funeral. Uncle Bill enjoyed every minute of it, as it was really worth his memory.  
I never told David, Aunt Anne, Nick, Mary or Lucy about Uncle Bill up to that point, on the latter's own request. And it would still take some time before he allowed me to break it to them.  
Over the course of the weeks, Mary managed to get herself an apartment of her own.

We were sitting in the living room together again - all the five of us. David looked up to his mother, and sighed.

"Mom... I... I don't think I can stay home much longer..." David explained. Aunt Anne nodded to him.

"I understand, honey." she said with a smile "I trust you'll stay with Mary then?"  
She noticed the young couple nodding to her words. She then smiled kindly at Mary.  
"We've known you for almost ten years now. And you've always been so good to us... to David... you've really become like a daughter to us. Please, I know I don't have to ask you this, but... take good care of him."

Mary smiled and nodded to the words "You got it! "

Nick left the room, aggressively putting on his leather jacket and dropping a note. We heard him getting on his bicycle and speeding off.

Lucy picked up the note, and read it for us.  
"Guys, I'm gonna blow off some steam. See you later. Maybe not. We'll see."

Those words shocked Aunt Anne, who brought a hand to her mouth "Oh, God... it's really gotten to him."

* * *

Another month passed. I had decided to stay with Aunt Anne and Lucy. Nick still had not returned.  
But several news reports on the TV did tell of a vigilante who brutally took care of drug dealers and their clients. I felt that Nick had something to do with it, but just wasn't sure. It would have made sense, though.

Then the phone rang. Aunt Anne answered it.

"Teller residence. Anne speaking." she said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible "...Nick?" she looked up from the telephone to us. We rushed over to her. She then put the phone on the speaker.  
"H-how are you, honey? Taking good care of yourself? "

"I'm fine, Mom." Nick replied calmly "Wish I could say the same about Dave, though."

"What?! Something happened to Dave?" I yelped.

"He's in a coma." Nick replied with the same calm "Some stupid couple did it. Really pissed off Mary. I had to sedate her. She'll be fine, though."

"Nick! Honey!" Aunt Anne said with concern "Where are you?! Can we come see you and your brother?!"

"No time to explain." Nick's voice got no less calm "I have some more cleaning to do. Just wanted to tell you guys about this."

"Cleaning?" I asked him "Nick, are you that vigilante we hear about on the news?"

"...I'll talk to you guys later." Nick replied, hanging up his phone.

* * *

On the other side of the phone, Nick was standing in an abandoned warehouse. He had tied up some hoodlums to several chairs.  
He lit up a blowtorch, slowly approaching one of them with an icy cold look in his eyes.

"You'd better tell me what I want to know if you don't want to suffer too much..."

END OF THE TENTH CHAPTER


	12. Chapter 11 - The Evil That Men Do

Chapter 11 - The Evil That Men Do

DISCLAIMER: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: a horizontal line indicates a scene change.

* * *

Having decided to do some research on what all had happened lately, Lucy went on her laptop to look up some names on Google.

"Here we go..." she said smiling "The Rake. An urban legend about a humanoid figure with long arms and razor- sharp claws for hands... it says here that the creature had already killed many people."

I looked at the page Lucy had opened. I noticed a new word on it, then looked down to my cousin.  
"Creepypasta? What does that mean?"

"Good question. Let's look it up!"  
She did her Google search on Creepypasta. What we found was... not at all assuring.

Lucy opened the Creepypasta wiki. We saw an article on it that seemed to be very popular due to the number of visits it had. An article on Jeff the Killer.  
I asked her to open that article. We got startled by the face that was on it... a face that still gives me nightmares to this day...

His face had an insipid, pale skin, with eyelids having burnt off, and eyes lined with ragged black skin, giving him an even more ghostly stature while his thick, black hair fell down to shoulder length. However, his most distrinctive and terrifying trait was without a doubt his maniacal smile.

I noticed something on the page. A quote.  
"Go to sleep." it said. This, along with him being a ruthless sociopathic murderer had the memory of my childhood come to mind again.

FLASHBACK  
I saw the two black bodybags on the stretchers again, containing the dead bodies of my parents.  
I also noticed the letter in my hand, reading it again...  
END FLASHBACK

"...someone named Jeff brutally killed my parents." I admitted to Lucy "I have an idea that this Jeff the Killer could be the same guy. Mind if I take a look?"

"Not at all, cuz! Go right ahead!" the kind blonde replied, handing me the laptop. I scrolled and browsed a little through the page.

"Jeffrey Woods. Serial killer... skilled combatant and knifeman... has great speed... loves to murder people... bully victim..." I wrote it all down in a notebook "Okay. I think I got enough, Lulu! Thanks!"

She smiled brightly to me "Sure thing!"

* * *

It soon became night again.

Out near the front yard, two figures in the darkness laughed together. One of them leapt up to softly land on the home's roof, while the other snuck up to the door. The figure rang the door bell.

RIIIIING!

"I'll get it!" Lucy said cheerfully, but I stopped her. Someone ringing someone's door bell at this hour... could mean trouble.

So instead, I approached the door, grabbing the same hammer from the kitchen counter again.  
"Who is it?" I asked. But no reply.

"I said, who is it?!" I asked with a bit more anger in my voice. But again, no reply. And then, the figure outside the door started to laugh.

The figure scared me when it finally showed its face. His skin was as white as Jeff's, and matted black hair that hung down to his shoulders, along with piercing white eyes surrounded by dark black rings. His twisted smile revealed a row of sharp jagged teeth, and his skin didn't look like skin at all, it almost looked like rubber or plastic. He stepped away from the door to reveal his patchy, black and white clown outfit with striped sleeved and socks. His body itself was grotesque, his long arms hanging down past his waist and the way he was poised made him look almost boneless, like a ragdoll. He let out a sickening laugh, and sang a familiar tune...

"All around the mulberry bush  
The monkey chased the weasel  
The monkey thought 'twas all in fun"

"POP GOES THE WEASEL!" another voice shouted to finish the tune. I looked behind me to see another figure having popped out of nowhere! This figure was female, which was the only difference she had in appearance with the other one.  
She just stood there for a while, trying to make me feel fear. But, though I still do get scared every now and then, I have felt no fear since my encounter with Aparat. The woman's face still looked like that of a ghost, however.

The woman laughed. The man joined in on the laughter. I growled at them.

"Just WHAT is so fuckin' FUNNY?!"

The woman did not respond. Instead, she leapt at Aunt Anne, pinning the elder woman to the floor. She grinned into my Aunt's eyes.  
"Death is the best joke." she laughed, raising her clawed hand "And you'll be laughing soon!"

"NO!" Lucy yelped, using all her courage to throw herself at the woman. She managed to tackle the latter, pinning her down and staring down to her.  
"Jackie! Do it!" Lucy called out to me. I nodded to her, and was about to rush over... but then the door slammed against my back and I blacked out again.

* * *

As I regained consciousness, I noticed the sound of crying. Lucy held the mutilated body of her mother tightly against her own. I walked over to her, noticing that her clothes had black blood on them and the hammer right next to her on the floor.

"I... I couldn't do it, Jackie... I'm... I'm so sorry..."

I sat down next to her to cry along with her for the next hour or so...

* * *

Having managed to set my grief aside, I went around the house to gather some things I knew I'd need... A cooling box from the laundry room, which I filled with a sixpack of softdrinks and canned foods from the basement. Gathering some sports bags and grocery bags, I then went upstairs to gather clean clothes and towels. I then went to Lucy's room to take her laptop, its power cable and bag, along with her books on supernatural and paranormal research. The last things I gathered from upstairs were Uncle Bill's old service revolver, spraycans of mace, tasers, handcuffs, as well as boxes of bullets and shells. Putting on his full riot gear with the girdle over my waist, I went back downstairs with the filled bags, telling Lucy to come along with me. On my way over to the garage, I passed the kitchen, snatching my Uncle's keys from the counter.

Once inside the garage, I stopped for a moment to stare at Uncle Bill's favourite vehicle: his old Volkswagen T-1 transporter van.  
I opened the back doors of the van, placing the bags inside of it, next to the jumper cables, replacement lights, and gasoline cans. I then took the riot gear back off my body, placing them along with the weapons in the chest inside the van.

I then opened the passenger seat's door for Lucy, through which she climbed inside.  
"Are we really gonna do this, Jackie?" she asked me concerned. I sighed at her words, then replied "I'm afraid we have no other choice left, Lulu." she showed me a faint smile, nodding to me.

"They'd want us to do this, too." I knew she meant her parents by this. I smiled and nodded back to her, closing the door.

I then took a good look around the garage, noticing and taking a hacksaw, coiled rope, tape measure, duct tape, heavy-duty gloves, some razor wire, some electric wire, a hatchet, a hunting knife, a sledgehammer, and of course the toolbox.  
My eyes then went wide with awe when I noticed the one thing that could do massive close-range damage to monsters...  
Mounted on one of the walls was my Uncle's chainsaw. I licked my lips with joy as my faced curled into a slasher smile, and took the mechanical beast from the wall.  
"Oh, you monsters..." I whispered, revving up the saw "...you're all gonna be SO sorry for what you've done! "  
I then swung the chainsaw around and screamed and laughed like a madman. Several pieces of wood flew across the garage, and sparks filled the air when the blade hit the concrete walls...

I noticed that Lucy looked at me from inside the van, getting a little scared at my behaviour.  
This made me calm down again, still laughing just a bit longer as I turned the saw back off, placing it in the chest inside the van, after which I got back out of it.

I then went back into the kitchen, grabbing the first aid kit from the closet, as well as my Uncle's pump-action shotgun and a box of shells from a drawer nearby.

I then went back into the garage, approaching the van, placed the last items inside the chest, exited the van and closed the doors again.  
I then finally opened the driver's door, climbed in, started the engine, and high-fived Lucy.

"Hunting season's begun!"

END OF THE ELEVENTH CHAPTER


	13. Chapter 12 - Can I Play With Madness?

Chapter 12 - Can I Play With Madness?

DISCLAIMER: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: a horizontal line indicates a scene change.

* * *

Lucy and I had been cruising the streets for half an hour until she noticed something, putting her laptop down.

"Jackie?" she called out to me, pointing at something out her window. I stopped the van, looking into her indicated direction.

We spotted a hooded young man, roughly slamming someone against a wall. We couldn't see his face, except his mouth; his teeth were exposed in a way that one could only describe as berserk.

I had decided to exit the van, and run toward the hooded man "Hey! Hey, stop it!"

The young man turned around to look at me... I now recognized his face. I brought a hand to my mouth in amazement.

"N... Nick?" I asked him in horror. He turned his face away from me, dropping the other man; who started to away for his life.

"Don't look at me, Jack! I'm... I'm a MONSTER! "

I approached him further, placing one hand on his shoulder. He jerked his shoulder to get my hand off of it... but I then placed it on the shoulder again.  
"Dude, it's okay... I'm sure you had a good reason to do what you've done..."

"...I.. I just wanted to let off some steam... avenge dad..." Nick started sobbing.

I held him close to me, hearing the passenger door open behind me.

Lucy ran from the van towards us with tears in her eyes, joining us in the hug.  
"Big brother..." she said crying.

* * *

"So, mom's dead now too?!" Nick asked from the backseat me to confirm to himself what I just told him. I nodded to him.

"By something more powerful than those druggies." I replied "Something much more dangerous... show him, Lulu."

Nick's eyes went wide, recognizing them.  
"They're the ones who made Dave bleed into a coma!" he growled, then examined the pages carefully. He's read all the other brutal murders the two were responsible of...  
"Fuckers... But any idea how to stop them? I mean, they seem like powerful beings."

I just gave him a thumbs-up with a grin.  
"They're powerful, but so am I! I once faced this woman called Clockwork... real name Natalie... she cut me, but I got no wounds! They healed up perfectly!"

"What? How's that even possible?" Nick asked cynically.

"Well, cuz... I seem to be some kind of chosen one. The Siphon. A being called Presence called me that."

Nick sighed to my words "...yeah, right... like I believe that crap. Why won't you prove to me that you're some kind of super-being now? ...oh, and turn left here."

"Right." I turn on the turning signal, steering to the left "I'm not gonna prove it to you now because, well, I Can't. Point is that I'll need to be near some douchebag who ended people's lives. And the spirits of those people need to be near me, and then enter me so I get fueled with awesome power. And like I said, I got rapid healing last time... who knows what the limits to my power can be?"

"If you say so..." Nick just stared out his window "Turn right, Jack."

"Sure."

* * *

We finally arrived near an abandoned warehouse, exiting the van again.

I walked over to the back of the van, opening the doors.  
"Are you sure it's okay, Nick?"

He just sighed, nodding approvingly.  
"I'm still trying to swallow the whole Siphon thing... but of course you guys can stay. I got plenty of room."

I nodded back to him, handing him one of the bags, and the cooler to Lucy. I grabbed the chest myself, after which we walked over to the door.

"There's also a junkyard near here, in case you want some spare parts to turn dad's old hog into a real monster." Nick suggested half-jokingly. I just nodded to him as he opened the door.

We were greeted by a 9mm handgun pointed into our direction. But the gun got lowered as soon as the person holding it saw us; it was Mary.  
She went over to us to give us a warm hug.

"Glad to see it's you guys!" she smiled at us. We smiled back to her.

"How's Dave?" I asked her. She just shook her head in reply "...sorry."

She then smiled at me "I'm sure he'll be fine! ...eventually..."

"Go upstairs to him again." Nick suggested "He needs you."

She nodded to him, taking the stairs to walk into a secluded room.

"...wait a minute... how... how did you manage to keep him alive?" I asked Nick.

"I stole some medical equipment from the hospital." he calmly replied "Not proud of it, but it had to be done."

"...Nick, we need to get him to the hospi-"

"NO!" he interrupted me "I... I kidnapped one of the doctors. He takes care of my brother. Or else."

I just sighed at his words.  
"You're so ruthless..."

* * *

We had managed to move all the stuff from the van into the warehouse. Nick had explained to us in the meantime that he was indeed the vigilante who prowled the streets, killing criminals.  
Lucy was sitting on the couch to watch some TV, while I was using her laptop to do some more research, whereas Nick was blowing off some steam on his punching bag.

"Seems we've got a lot more hunting to do..." I sighed, leaning back against the couch.

"Better get some sleep now then, Jack." Nick suggested, continuing to punch the bag "You'll need to save your strength."

"Hah! Look who's talking!" I grinned at him. He grinned back at me "I agree, though... better head off to bed."

"Upstairs. Second door on the right." Nick said, still punching.

I nodded to him, waving it off "I know. We filled up that room for me before, remember?"

Nick just nodded to me, and I kissed Lucy on the cheek as I got up "G'night cousins."

"Night, Jackie!"

"G'night bro."

* * *

The next day. Late morning.  
After a hearty breakfast, Nick and I got back in the van again. The girls preferred to stay inside.

"Think we'll be able to find them?" Nick asked me. He referred to Laughing Jack and Jill.

I shrugged to him "I hope so. We might be able to see what I can do then."

Nick sighed to me in disbelief, then his eyes widened "LOOK OUT!"

I hit the brakes, but it was too late. I still hit the person with a large bump...  
"Shit! Did... did you see who we've hit?!": I asked Nick, who just shook his head. I exited the van, rushing over to look around and under the van for the person, but couldn't find anything.  
"What the fuck..."

Nick then also exited the van to look around.  
"Where... where's the body?!"

"Right here!" a familiar voice laughed at us. We turned around, noticing Laughing Jack lashing out his claws at us.  
He drew blood from my arm, but Nick managed to evade.

"Hello sugar." Laughing Jill said, holding Nick firmly "Good to see you again!"

Nick tried to struggle "Let GO of me!"

"HAHAHAHAHA! Oh, noooo... not until we're DONE! "

I growled at those words, then felt a spirit entering my body. I grinned at this.  
"Yes..." another spirit then found its way "More..." I got a whole bombardment of spirits "Oh, yes... yes... YES... YEEEES... HAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!"  
Laughing Jack just laughed along with me. I glared at him.  
"I didn't say YOU could laugh!" I growled at him, punching him in the face, sending him flying off backwards, as he landed hard on the asphalt. But he just kept laughing all the way...

"Oh, loverrrr..." Laughing Jack called out "Please make our new friends laugh..."

"With PLEASURE!" Laughing Jill replied, about to strike Nick to death. But she suddenly got kicked in the face to force her away from him; I delivered the kick at an unseen speed.

I towered over Jill, crushing her chest.  
"Nick. Go berserk on Jack." I told him. He just laughed at me, and started to growl. Then roar. Then he pinned Laughing Jack to the ground, continuously punching him in the face.

Jill finally ceased to laugh, knowing that she and her lover have met their match. She looked up to me, begging for "Mercy..."

"...are... are you fuckin' KIDDING me?! You... one of the monsters who are without mercy... you have the GALL to BEG me for IT?!" I then kicked her in the chin, about to crush her skull "REQUEST DENIED!"

"WAIT!" I heard Mary call out from behind me. She rushed to the scene, approaching me with clenched fists "Jack... let me do it."

I grinned and nodded to her, pressing the button to stop the saw "Go ahead, Mary. I understand. The floor is yours."

Mary nodded to me, then glared down to Laughing Jill. Two blades then appeared from her fists - David's switchblades.  
"My boyfriend loves these things..." she calmly said, pressing her knee against Jill's ribs, after which she picked up the female evil clown's, putting the blade under Jill's chin "In his memory, I will use them to kill you..."

Jill just grinned at her, putting a hand behind Mary's head to pull her closer to herself.  
But Mary lashed at the arm, drawing black blood. Jill screamed with pain.

Mary then looked at me "Knock them out. I... I have a much more fun idea."

"Are you sure you want it, Mary?"

She nodded to me "I want them to suffer..."

So with a mighty blow to their heads, I got the two clowns to go unconscious.

* * *

We got ourselves into an old toy store in the warehouse - Nick's personally assigned and decorated torture chamber.

We've tied down the two monster clowns, using supernatural seals we found in Lucy's books to keep them tied up.

I stood beside Mary, who glared down at the two with a tranquil fury in her eyes. I held a bucket of water in my hands.  
"Ready to do this, Mary?" I asked her. She nodded to me. I then splashed the water into their faces, waking them up.

"Wh-what?" Jack asked, looking around. He tried to break free, but the seals prevented him. The same thing occured to Jill.

Mary just kept up her glare, slashing one of the blades at Laughing Jack's leg. The black blood splurted out of the wound, to which he just laughed with pain. But Mary didn't care about the laughter. She kept slashing at Jack, her own clothes becoming drenched with the black blood with every strike.  
She lashed at Laughing Jack's stomach, reaching inside to firmly grab his intestines. The evil male clown now finally ceased to laugh, and screamed with pain, which only became more intense when Mary pulled his intenstines out of him, using them as a cord to strangle him. But she stopped the very moment she felt that he would faint. Instead, she withdrew the switchblades, and reached for David's baseball bat.  
"STRIKE ONE!" she growled, crushing Laughing Jack's legs with a powerful blow...  
"STRIKE TWO!" she brought the bat to his ribs, breaking them and enjoying his agonizing screams...  
"STRIKE THREE!" she brought the bat to his head, which got separated from his body with a sickening crunch.  
Mary then dropped the bat, sighing "...you're out."

She then turned over to Laughing Jill, glaring down to her.  
"My... my love... you.. you killed my LOVE!" Jill roared at Mary, who kept up her glare, then laughed maniacally.

"HahahaHAHAHAHAAAA! Oh, don't you worry, Jill! You'll be seeing him again SOON ENOUGH!" Mary then drew the switchblades again, slashing at Jill's arms, drawing black blood once more "And at least YOUR boyfriend will hold his arms around you! While you made DAMN SURE MINE WON'T!"  
Mary let her rage get the better of herself, slashing about at Jill's entire body to leave many more cuts to the female evil clown's body. Mary's clothes and the room got really covered in black blood, but whe didn't care. In fact, Mary even seemed to enjoy it!  
Having put Laughing Jill on the very verge of dying, Mary dropped the knives, holding a hand out to me. I handed her Uncle Bill's favourite hammer, which she rose into the air.  
"...and THIS is for having killed my awesome MOTHER-IN- LAW!" she smashed the hammer into Laughing Jill's face, putting an end to the evil clowns' laughter...

END OF THE TWELFTH CHAPTER


End file.
